Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers;‎‎1. Rivers State Executive Council has approved a N1.8 trillion budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year. The approval was made at the State Executive Council meeting held on Friday evening. The newly sworn-in Special Adviser to Governor Siminalayi Fubara on Economic Matters and Social Development, Prof. Peter Medee, said the budget was designed to enable the state to complete and advance key projects in critical sectors.

2. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that there would be no second chance for Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, accusing him of failing to provide effective leadership. Wike said any leader who is unable to maintain a working relationship with local government chairmen, members of the state House of Assembly, and other critical stakeholders lacks the capacity to govern effectively.
3. Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC. The governor was formally received into the APC on Friday in Jos, where the state chairman of the party, Mr. Rufus Bature, presented him with his membership card.

4. The driver of the ill-fated Lexus SUV in the boxing champion Anthony Joshua accident case has been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Sagamu, Ogun State, on Friday. The driver, Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, aged 46, was arraigned before Chief Magistrate O. M. Somefun on four count charges, including reckless driving and lack of a valid national driver’s licence.
5. A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to the Bauchi State Commissioner of Finance, Yakubu Adamu and three others, who are facing charges bordering on terrorism financing. Justice Emeka Nwite on Friday granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500 million and two sureties in like sum.

6. The immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will remain in prison custody till Wednesday when his request for bail will be considered by the Federal High Court in Abuja. Justice Nwite fixed the date for ruling after Counsels in the matter argued for and against the bail application.
7. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has dismissed reports circulating in some quarters claiming that it has released the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2027 general election, describing the information as false and misleading. The dismissal effectively rubbishes INEC’s initial projections detailed in a document entitled “Election Management in Nigeria, 2015-2025”.
8. The Nigerian Air Force on Friday said it has successfully coordinated response and recovery actions after one of its unmanned aerial vehicles experienced a loss of link during a routine mission under Operation FASAN YAMMA. The Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

9. The Naira on Friday, opened the year 2026 positively, appreciating against the U.S. dollar at the official market trading at N1,430.84. According to data released on the official website of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the Naira gained N4.90. This represents a 0.34 per cent gain when compared to Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, when it traded at N1,435.75 to a dollar.
10. A Kano State High Court, on Friday, issued an interim order, suspending Hashimu Suleiman-Dungurawa, as the State chairman of the New Nigerian People’s Party, pending determination of the suit. Suleiman-Dungurawa is from the Gargari ward, in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area area of Kano State. Justice Zuwaira Yusuf issued the interim order, following a motion exparte by one Mr Shuaibu Hassan and nine other applicants, all members of Gargari Ward in Dawakin-Tofa Local Government Area.

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Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:‎‎1. Former Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has formally defected to the African Democratic Congress. Obi, who is also a former Governor of Anambra State, urged Nigerians and opposition forces to unite under a broad national coalition to “rescue Nigeria from poverty, disunity and democratic decline.”

2. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Wednesday commended President Bola Tinubu for keeping to promises he made to the people of Rivers State while campaigning before the 2023 presidential election. Wike compared Tinubu to Rivers State Governor, Similalaye Fubara whom he said has not kept to agreement made to his people.
3. A former member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Moruf Musa, has been abducted by gunmen and taken to an undisclosed location. Musa was reportedly kidnapped on Tuesday evening at about 7pm from his residence in Ibiade, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State.

4. Nigeria will face Mozambique in the Round of 16 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, organisers have confirmed. This confirmation followed the conclusion of match day three on Wednesday night. The knockout fixture is scheduled to take place in Fez, setting up a decisive clash as the Super Eagles continue their push for continental glory at #AFCON2025.
5. The Delta State Police Command has recovered firearms and illicit drugs during a festive-period clampdown on criminal activities across parts of the state. The operation also led to the arrest of a robbery suspect and the recovery of guns and ammunition in the Ughelli North Local Government Area.

6. Brutish-Nigerian heavyweight boxer, Anthony Joshua, has been discharged from Duchess International Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos. Joshua, who survived an accident that led to the loss of the lives of two of his lives, was involved in the accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
7. The National Working Committee of the New Nigeria Peoples Party on Wednesday nullified the purported suspension of its Kano State chairman, Alhaji Hashimu Dungurawa, describing the action as illegal, undemocratic and of no effect. In a statement issued from the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, the NNPP said the move violated the provisions of the party’s constitution.
8. The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee of the Labour Party has described the defection of its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the African Democratic Congress as a “liberation” for the party, declaring that it regrets fielding him as its flagbearer in the last general election. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, stated this in a statement issued hours after Obi formally announced his defection in Enugu.

9. Senator Godiya Akwashiki (SDP/Nasarawa North) has died at the age of 52, following a protracted illness. A family source, who confirmed the incident to NAN on condition of anonymity on Thursday in Nassarawa Eggon, said that Akwashiki died in an Indian hospital on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
10. The Police Command in Ondo State says gunmen have attacked the Ipele community in the Owo Local Government Area of the state State and set a Police Station on fire. DSP Jimoh Kazeem, the command’s Sokesperson, who confirmed the incident to newsmen on Wednesday night in Akure, said personnel and officers had been deployed to the community.

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Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen has sent a message of condolence to Nigerian-British boxer, Anthony Joshua, who recently survived a deadly car crash that killed two people in Nigeria.

Recall that the accident occurred on Monday when a Lexus SUV transporting Joshua collided with a parked truck near Sinoma, before Danco, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway.
The Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Sector Command, later ascribed the cause of the crash to over speeding and wrongful overtaking.

Reacting to the development, Osimhen, who is currently with the Super Eagles squad at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, tournament in Morocco, said it was devastating news.
The Galatasaray striker also sent his thoughts to Joshua and condoled the bereaved families. He’s been one of the huge celebrities that has put Nigeria on the [World] map,” Osimhen said via Pooja Media.

“I think he’s done it for so many years. Hearing something like this, I think it affected a lot of us Nigerians.
“Condolences to the families of the deceased. It’s not a beautiful thing to lose a life in such a crazy manner. My thoughts are with him.”

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Kehinde Subair, a 60-year-old former majority leader of the Oyo State House of Assembly, passed away.
Subair, a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was reported to have passed away in the UK not long after breaking his Ramadan fast.
APC Publicity Secretary Wale Sadare confirmed Subair’s death to Punch in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state, saying, “Yes, he is dead, confirmed.” But since I’m in a studio right now, I can’t discuss too much.

The two-term member of the state House of Assembly from 2011 to 2019 passed away just days before turning 60, according to another APC chieftain in the state who asked not to be named.
Seven days before his 60th birthday, Subair passed away in the United Kingdom, according to the source. The party will undoubtedly miss him.

Prior to his untimely death, Subair held a variety of positions within the party.

In other events, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde declared that the people of Oyo State will be key in choosing his successor in the 2027 elections.

According to reports, Makinde made this pronouncement in a statement that was made public on Saturday, March 8, 2025, and that his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Sulaimon Olanrewaju, provided to reporters.

Read Also: Court Refuses Bail for Bello Turji’s Associates in Terrorism Case

The governor underlined that if Oyo State citizens genuinely want continuity, they would choose his successor and thereby control the state’s future.

Additionally, he stated that he would make public the name of the candidate he plans to support for governor at some point in 2026.

The goal of this endorsement, according to Makinde, is to guarantee that the state keeps up its course toward reform and sustainable growth.

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According to reports, the victim was abducted while traveling from Benin, Edo State, to Ibadan, Oyo State, in order to return to her principal duty.
Her family reportedly argued that they were unable to pay the ₦20 million ransom demand made by the kidnappers.

After lengthy discussions, the kidnappers allegedly lowered the ₦20 million ransom to ₦5 million.
Aminat has recovered her freedom, according to Lawal’s buddy Agbakwara, who was informed of the situation and provided an update on Saturday.

“The kidnappers put pressure on us in the early hours of Friday, saying that if we didn’t comply with their demands, we shouldn’t expect her return,” Agbakwara stated in a Facebook post that included a video of the victim.

In a desperate attempt to help, I contacted everyone I could, including her family, my fans, her hometown friends, her coworkers at school, and the Muslim association.

At 4:20 p.m. on Friday, we transferred N1.1 million to an account supplied by the kidnappers, thanks to the combined efforts and kindness of numerous individuals.

According to Isaac Ayo, the recipient, his sister was also abducted, and he promised to provide the ransom along with his own.

Read Also: BREAKING: Kidnapped Afenifere Youth Leader Regains Freedom After 12 Days

On Saturday morning, he said, Lawal was at last reunited with her family.

Our tense waiting lasted for hours. Around ten o’clock at night, we finally got the eagerly anticipated phone informing us that they had been freed and transferred to the hospital.

Rofiat was on her way home, and the others had safely made their way back to their homes, according to a second call we received this morning.

My sincere appreciation goes out to everyone who helped, shared the information, and tagged the appropriate authorities. He said, “This was made possible by your support.”

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